This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. This core facility aims to assist program and institution investigators in conducting consistent, high quality genome scale experiments. Based on the needs of Stem Cell COBRE and other investigators, the following services have been developed: 1/ Automated RNA and RNA purification: High throughput purification is performed using Autogen DNA and RNA purification systems in conjunction with an Autogen tissue homogenizer. Also, a Qiacube system provides versatility and speed for processing of smaller sample numbers. 2/ Quality assessment of nucleic acids: A Nanodrop spectrophotometer provides accurate quantitation and basic purity analyses. 3/ Quantitative RT-PCR: Two BioRad instruments are in use. The MyIQ system performs single dye QPCR assay, while the IQ5 allows multiplexing of QPCR, providing for expression analysis of up to 5 genes simultaneously per sample. The demand for multiplexing is expected to rise as COBRE investigators'projects increasingly focus on validating research findings in human patient material with limited availability. 4/ Microarray analysis: Since the number of MMCRI investigators performing transcriptome analyses does not warrant investment in microarray instrumentation, an active collaboration has been established with the COBRE-funded Microarray Facility at the University of Vermont. In addition to primary data, quality control and analysis is provided by a bioinformatician (Professor Jeffrey Bonds). The MMCRI Bioinformatics &Genomics Core coordinates investigator requests for microarray analyses, Affymetrix microarray and reagent purchases, and billing to expedite this interaction. Furthermore, a fully equipped workstation is provided for users who prefer to process their own primary data, and for users seeking information on alternate transcript splicing.